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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Washington Post admits Euro Policy on Iran has failed |
| 2004-06-18 |
| EFL NINE MONTHS AGO, as a confrontation loomed between Iran and the United Nations over Iran’s illicit nuclear programs, three European governments staged a preemptive operation. Flying to Tehran, the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany struck a deal with Iran’s Islamic regime: The Europeans would block a referral of Iran’s violations to the U.N. Security Council and provide technical cooperation, and in exchange Iran would stop its work on uranium enrichment, fully disclose its nuclear programs and accept a new U.N. protocol giving inspectors greater access. The Bush administration was upstaged; some in Paris and Berlin smugly suggested that it had been given an object lesson by the Europeans in how "soft power" could be used to manage the rogue states in President Bush’s "axis of evil."... ......if a crisis is to be avoided, a better strategy is needed. The Bush administration, which once advocated referral of the Iranian matter to the Security Council for consideration of sanctions, now is merely pressing for a deadline for Iranian compliance. The Europeans reject even that as too aggressive. Yet it should now be clear that if Iranian nuclear ambitions are to be checked, Europe -- and Russia -- will have to forcefully employ the leverage of their diplomatic and economic relations with Tehran. So far, only carrots have been offered -- and they have produced no results. |
| Posted by:mhw |
| #1 Well. You can color me surprised!!!! (er, no.) |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-06-18 1:30:11 PM |